Processing of medical components such as stents by laser cutting is known in the art. In some cases, a thin walled tube is laser cut to the desired configuration. In other cases, a flat piece of material such as a metallic material is first cut and then formed into a tubular stent. Stents comprises an interconnected lattice of struts that can expand into a mesh support tube. Processing a stent requires precise, smooth cuts. The present invention provides an improved manufacturing process for manufacturing medical devices such as stents.